The CEI held its annual Steering Committee meeting back to back with the CEI Committee of National Coordinators on 12 April 2013, at the Headquarters of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
The CNC, chaired by the Hungarian Presidency represented by Ambassador Edit Batorfi, dealt with an intense agenda:
Ambassador Giovanni Caracciolo di Vietri, newly appointed Secretary General, emphasised the crucial task to revisit the Business Dimension of the Organisation according to the recommendations from CEI Foreign Ministers during their previous meetings. The Presidency and the Secretariat reported about a number of relevant events and activities recently organised and announced some of the activities taking place in the forthcoming months. An important topic of discussion was the new CEI Plan of Action for the period 2014-2016 to be in line with the EU Agenda 2020. The draft prepared by the Secretariat was examined by the Coordinators and endorsed as an excellent basis for the final version to be approved by the Meeting of Foreign Ministers taking place in autumn. Special focus was put on the position of the CEI with respect to recent developments in EU macro-regional strategies as well as on the positive results and perspectives in the implementation of EU-funded projects. The CNC was also informed about the web portal developed in cooperation with the ANSA News Agency, a valuable instrument for dissemination and circulation of information in the CEI region. The Coordinators also agreed to support a scientific evaluation of the CEI Instrument for the Protection of Minority Rights. In this regard, the Secretariat announced that the International Summer School of Cervia, a CEI feature event proposed by Italy, will include this topic in this year’s edition. The top priority of the CEI Steering Committee meeting, gathering CEI National Coordinators and representatives from the CEI countries at the EBRD Board of Directors, was to approve the budget of the CEI Fund at the EBRD for 2013. Over 1.8 million EUR is foreseen for financing the Technical Cooperation (TC) Programme and the Know-how Exchange Programme (KEP), the CEI Fund’s operational instruments, through which it supports transition countries – ODA eligible CEI Member States – in the process of integration with the European Union. The success story of the CEI Fund at the EBRD was also highlighted by EBRD representatives who thanked the CEI for its effective partnership. They also expressed the Bank’s gratitude to the Italian Government as sole donor of the CEI Fund enabling important Bank operations in the CEI region. The CEI Secretary General, concluded the meeting by highlighting the fact that the partnership with the EBRD represented one of the CEI’s main pillars, enabling the Initiative to develop a strong project-oriented dimension.
The CNC, chaired by the Hungarian Presidency represented by Ambassador Edit Batorfi, dealt with an intense agenda:
Ambassador Giovanni Caracciolo di Vietri, newly appointed Secretary General, emphasised the crucial task to revisit the Business Dimension of the Organisation according to the recommendations from CEI Foreign Ministers during their previous meetings. The Presidency and the Secretariat reported about a number of relevant events and activities recently organised and announced some of the activities taking place in the forthcoming months. An important topic of discussion was the new CEI Plan of Action for the period 2014-2016 to be in line with the EU Agenda 2020. The draft prepared by the Secretariat was examined by the Coordinators and endorsed as an excellent basis for the final version to be approved by the Meeting of Foreign Ministers taking place in autumn. Special focus was put on the position of the CEI with respect to recent developments in EU macro-regional strategies as well as on the positive results and perspectives in the implementation of EU-funded projects. The CNC was also informed about the web portal developed in cooperation with the ANSA News Agency, a valuable instrument for dissemination and circulation of information in the CEI region. The Coordinators also agreed to support a scientific evaluation of the CEI Instrument for the Protection of Minority Rights. In this regard, the Secretariat announced that the International Summer School of Cervia, a CEI feature event proposed by Italy, will include this topic in this year’s edition. The top priority of the CEI Steering Committee meeting, gathering CEI National Coordinators and representatives from the CEI countries at the EBRD Board of Directors, was to approve the budget of the CEI Fund at the EBRD for 2013. Over 1.8 million EUR is foreseen for financing the Technical Cooperation (TC) Programme and the Know-how Exchange Programme (KEP), the CEI Fund’s operational instruments, through which it supports transition countries – ODA eligible CEI Member States – in the process of integration with the European Union. The success story of the CEI Fund at the EBRD was also highlighted by EBRD representatives who thanked the CEI for its effective partnership. They also expressed the Bank’s gratitude to the Italian Government as sole donor of the CEI Fund enabling important Bank operations in the CEI region. The CEI Secretary General, concluded the meeting by highlighting the fact that the partnership with the EBRD represented one of the CEI’s main pillars, enabling the Initiative to develop a strong project-oriented dimension.